LANSING, MICH. A property in Pellston will be redeveloped with help from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The Emmet County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority was awarded a $76,200 Brownfield Redevelopment Grant to revitalize and safely reuse a former gas station located at 1302 US 31 in Pellston, Michigan.

Soil and groundwater were contaminated by gasoline from leaking underground storage tanks. The brownfield grant will be used to update old environmental investigations and demolish a vacant, blighted building. The updated investigations will help protect a new owner from liability for the contamination.

The site owner is considering offers from prospective developers. The property is across the street from the Pellston airport so could be redeveloped with a transportation-related business.

The MDEQ partners with communities to protect public health and the environment and revitalize contaminated property. MDEQ grants and loans pay for environmental investigation and cleanup on brownfields. Brownfields are vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected environmental contamination.

Partnerships between MDEQ and communities have created $4 billion in private investment and 29,000 new jobs over the life of the Brownfield Redevelopment Program. Each grant and loan dollar invested by the MDEQ in 2017 to protect residents and the environment is expected to return an average of $32 to the state’s economy. When brownfields are redeveloped, property values increase both on the revitalized site and on other nearby properties. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/deqbrownfields.